Hi Folks,
We have a shower cubicle of a non-standard size, with
block walls on three sides. I got a custom shower tray made from stainless steel
for the base of this shower, with a lip on it of about one inch. I tiled the walls
of the shower and rested the bottom row of tiles on to the stainless steel base,
so that shower water would fall into the base and drain away nicely: no worries about the integrity of the join twixt tiles and base here.
I then bought the good silicone stuff (can't remember the brand name, but each
cartridge was £7.50 a time all those years ago) and the shower has done well for
a few years.

The problem started about a year ago: the other side of one of the shower cubicle
walls is wallpapered, and the black bacterium started to flare in spots from the
base up to about eighteen inches off the floor. The other wall is in an
adjoining room, and it too showed the same symptoms.
The tiles used are those flaming difficult ones to drill, and are about fourteen
inches tall by about ten wide.

I cursed my luck and decided to remove the bottom row of tiles, and the plaster
work behind them was damp. The plaster at the very foot of the tiles for up to
about a half inch was sufficiently wet that you could "rub" it through your fingers.
Bug*er.

Its dried out for about three weeks now, hence I'm getting pestered to get the
shower fixed (we have two other showers in the house, so no catty comments about
personal stench please :-) .
But how to fix this: if I do what I did last time, the problem could come back.
My guess is that the water was somehow "wick"ing up the back of the tile and up into the wall.

Current thoughts are to buy some of that plastic "quadrant" tile edging stuff (not
the kind that is used to tile down to the top lip of a bath), and use this to
keep the bottom edge of the tile off the stainless steel.
I'd also make sure that the bottom two inches of the wall are painted with gloss
paint so that any water on its surface wouldn't seep in and work its way through.

I'm using one of those two-pronged damp meter things; it's not exact science
but its quite useful. The numbers have dropped since the shower was
decommissioned, but I guess that's to be expected.

Grateful if anyone has views on this; many thanks in advance.

Mungo

On 28/10/12 19:03, wrote:
Hi Folks,
We have a shower cubicle of a non-standard size, with
block walls on three sides. I got a custom shower tray made from stainless steel
for the base of this shower, with a lip on it of about one inch. I tiled the walls
of the shower and rested the bottom row of tiles on to the stainless steel base,
so that shower water would fall into the base and drain away nicely: no worries about the integrity of the join twixt tiles and base here.
I then bought the good silicone stuff (can't remember the brand name, but each
cartridge was £7.50 a time all those years ago) and the shower has done well for
a few years.

The problem started about a year ago: the other side of one of the shower cubicle
walls is wallpapered, and the black bacterium started to flare in spots from the
base up to about eighteen inches off the floor. The other wall is in an
adjoining room, and it too showed the same symptoms.
The tiles used are those flaming difficult ones to drill, and are about fourteen
inches tall by about ten wide.

I cursed my luck and decided to remove the bottom row of tiles, and the plaster
work behind them was damp. The plaster at the very foot of the tiles for up to
about a half inch was sufficiently wet that you could "rub" it through your fingers.
Bug*er.

Its dried out for about three weeks now, hence I'm getting pestered to get the
shower fixed (we have two other showers in the house, so no catty comments about
personal stench please :-) .
But how to fix this: if I do what I did last time, the problem could come back.
My guess is that the water was somehow "wick"ing up the back of the tile and up into the wall.

Current thoughts are to buy some of that plastic "quadrant" tile edging stuff (not
the kind that is used to tile down to the top lip of a bath), and use this to
keep the bottom edge of the tile off the stainless steel.
I'd also make sure that the bottom two inches of the wall are painted with gloss
paint so that any water on its surface wouldn't seep in and work its way through.

I'm using one of those two-pronged damp meter things; it's not exact science
but its quite useful. The numbers have dropped since the shower was
decommissioned, but I guess that's to be expected.

Grateful if anyone has views on this; many thanks in advance.


the way to fix this is to use silicioe to seal the tray to te plaster
wall. and then tile up then re-tile with waterproof cement and grout.


Mungo



--
Ineptocracy

(in-ep-toc-ra-cy) €“ a system of government where the least capable to
lead are elected by the least capable of producing, and where the
members of society least likely to sustain themselves or succeed, are
rewarded with goods and services paid for by the confiscated wealth of a
diminishing number of producers.

On 28/10/2012 19:03, wrote:
Hi Folks,
We have a shower cubicle of a non-standard size, with
block walls on three sides. I got a custom shower tray made from stainless steel
for the base of this shower, with a lip on it of about one inch. I tiled the walls
of the shower and rested the bottom row of tiles on to the stainless steel base,
so that shower water would fall into the base and drain away nicely: no worries about the integrity of the join twixt tiles and base here.
I then bought the good silicone stuff (can't remember the brand name, but each
cartridge was £7.50 a time all those years ago) and the shower has done well for
a few years.

The problem started about a year ago: the other side of one of the shower cubicle
walls is wallpapered, and the black bacterium started to flare in spots from the
base up to about eighteen inches off the floor. The other wall is in an
adjoining room, and it too showed the same symptoms.
The tiles used are those flaming difficult ones to drill, and are about fourteen
inches tall by about ten wide.

I cursed my luck and decided to remove the bottom row of tiles, and the plaster
work behind them was damp. The plaster at the very foot of the tiles for up to
about a half inch was sufficiently wet that you could "rub" it through your fingers.
Bug*er.

Its dried out for about three weeks now, hence I'm getting pestered to get the
shower fixed (we have two other showers in the house, so no catty comments about
personal stench please :-) .
But how to fix this: if I do what I did last time, the problem could come back.
My guess is that the water was somehow "wick"ing up the back of the tile and up into the wall.

Current thoughts are to buy some of that plastic "quadrant" tile edging stuff (not
the kind that is used to tile down to the top lip of a bath), and use this to
keep the bottom edge of the tile off the stainless steel.
I'd also make sure that the bottom two inches of the wall are painted with gloss
paint so that any water on its surface wouldn't seep in and work its way through.

I'm using one of those two-pronged damp meter things; it's not exact science
but its quite useful. The numbers have dropped since the shower was
decommissioned, but I guess that's to be expected.

Grateful if anyone has views on this; many thanks in advance.

Mungo

The problem is that the tiles were sitting on the tray - so you couldn't
get a decent bead of silicone *into* the joint. Before you put the tiles
back, cut a few mm off the bottom edge, and prop them up until the
cement has set. *Then* apply the silicone so that it goes right back to
the wall.

Also make sure that you use good quality waterproof grout between the tiles.
--
Cheers,
Roger
____________
Please reply to Newsgroup. Whilst email address is valid, it is seldom
checked.

On 28/10/2012 20:33, Roger Mills wrote:
On 28/10/2012 19:03, wrote:
Hi Folks,
We have a shower cubicle of a non-standard size, with
block walls on three sides. I got a custom shower tray made from
stainless steel
for the base of this shower, with a lip on it of about one inch. I
tiled the walls
of the shower and rested the bottom row of tiles on to the stainless
steel base,
so that shower water would fall into the base and drain away nicely:
no worries about the integrity of the join twixt tiles and base here.
I then bought the good silicone stuff (can't remember the brand name,
but each
cartridge was £7.50 a time all those years ago) and the shower has
done well for
a few years.

The problem started about a year ago: the other side of one of the
shower cubicle
walls is wallpapered, and the black bacterium started to flare in
spots from the
base up to about eighteen inches off the floor. The other wall is in an
adjoining room, and it too showed the same symptoms.
The tiles used are those flaming difficult ones to drill, and are
about fourteen
inches tall by about ten wide.

I cursed my luck and decided to remove the bottom row of tiles, and
the plaster
work behind them was damp. The plaster at the very foot of the tiles
for up to
about a half inch was sufficiently wet that you could "rub" it through
your fingers.
Bug*er.

Its dried out for about three weeks now, hence I'm getting pestered to
get the
shower fixed (we have two other showers in the house, so no catty
comments about
personal stench please :-) .
But how to fix this: if I do what I did last time, the problem could
come back.
My guess is that the water was somehow "wick"ing up the back of the
tile and up into the wall.

Current thoughts are to buy some of that plastic "quadrant" tile
edging stuff (not
the kind that is used to tile down to the top lip of a bath), and use
this to
keep the bottom edge of the tile off the stainless steel.
I'd also make sure that the bottom two inches of the wall are painted
with gloss
paint so that any water on its surface wouldn't seep in and work its
way through.

I'm using one of those two-pronged damp meter things; it's not exact
science
but its quite useful. The numbers have dropped since the shower was
decommissioned, but I guess that's to be expected.

Grateful if anyone has views on this; many thanks in advance.

Mungo

The problem is that the tiles were sitting on the tray - so you couldn't
get a decent bead of silicone *into* the joint. Before you put the tiles
back, cut a few mm off the bottom edge, and prop them up until the
cement has set. *Then* apply the silicone so that it goes right back to
the wall.

Also make sure that you use good quality waterproof grout between the
tiles.

I would in the short term use some polythene and gafa tape and seal the
damp area (maybe loose at the bottom as long as it overhangs the tray)
that would allow using the shower until it dries out.

On Sunday, October 28, 2012 7:03:29 PM UTC, wrote:
Hi Folks, We have a shower cubicle of a non-standard size, with block walls on three sides.

Could you use one of those 'tanking kits'. I had a similar set up to you and we tanked all the walls before tiling. The kits contain a fibre tape that you stick over the joint from wall to tray so that when you apply the tanking gunk you end up with a waterproof seal all the way from tray to ceiling!

Robert

On 29/10/2012 13:08, ss wrote:
On 28/10/2012 20:33, Roger Mills wrote:
On 28/10/2012 19:03, wrote:
Hi Folks,
We have a shower cubicle of a non-standard size, with
block walls on three sides. I got a custom shower tray made from
stainless steel
for the base of this shower, with a lip on it of about one inch. I
tiled the walls
of the shower and rested the bottom row of tiles on to the stainless
steel base,
so that shower water would fall into the base and drain away nicely:
no worries about the integrity of the join twixt tiles and base here.
I then bought the good silicone stuff (can't remember the brand name,
but each
cartridge was £7.50 a time all those years ago) and the shower has
done well for
a few years.

The problem started about a year ago: the other side of one of the
shower cubicle
walls is wallpapered, and the black bacterium started to flare in
spots from the
base up to about eighteen inches off the floor. The other wall is in an
adjoining room, and it too showed the same symptoms.
The tiles used are those flaming difficult ones to drill, and are
about fourteen
inches tall by about ten wide.

I cursed my luck and decided to remove the bottom row of tiles, and
the plaster
work behind them was damp. The plaster at the very foot of the tiles
for up to
about a half inch was sufficiently wet that you could "rub" it through
your fingers.
Bug*er.

Its dried out for about three weeks now, hence I'm getting pestered to
get the
shower fixed (we have two other showers in the house, so no catty
comments about
personal stench please :-) .
But how to fix this: if I do what I did last time, the problem could
come back.
My guess is that the water was somehow "wick"ing up the back of the
tile and up into the wall.

Current thoughts are to buy some of that plastic "quadrant" tile
edging stuff (not
the kind that is used to tile down to the top lip of a bath), and use
this to
keep the bottom edge of the tile off the stainless steel.
I'd also make sure that the bottom two inches of the wall are painted
with gloss
paint so that any water on its surface wouldn't seep in and work its
way through.

I'm using one of those two-pronged damp meter things; it's not exact
science
but its quite useful. The numbers have dropped since the shower was
decommissioned, but I guess that's to be expected.

Grateful if anyone has views on this; many thanks in advance.

Mungo

The problem is that the tiles were sitting on the tray - so you couldn't
get a decent bead of silicone *into* the joint. Before you put the tiles
back, cut a few mm off the bottom edge, and prop them up until the
cement has set. *Then* apply the silicone so that it goes right back to
the wall.

Also make sure that you use good quality waterproof grout between the
tiles.

I would in the short term use some polythene and gafa tape and seal the
damp area (maybe loose at the bottom as long as it overhangs the tray)
that would allow using the shower until it dries out.

I've used this stuff a couple of times & it works a treat
http://www.homelux.co.uk/index.php?l...=product_range

--
Dave - The Medway Handyman www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

On Sunday, October 28, 2012 8:33:56 PM UTC, Roger Mills wrote:
On 28/10/2012 19:03, wrote:

Hi Folks,

We have a shower cubicle of a non-standard size, with

block walls on three sides. I got a custom shower tray made from stainless steel

for the base of this shower, with a lip on it of about one inch. I tiled the walls

of the shower and rested the bottom row of tiles on to the stainless steel base,

so that shower water would fall into the base and drain away nicely: no worries about the integrity of the join twixt tiles and base here.

I then bought the good silicone stuff (can't remember the brand name, but each

cartridge was £7.50 a time all those years ago) and the shower has done well for

a few years.



The problem started about a year ago: the other side of one of the shower cubicle

walls is wallpapered, and the black bacterium started to flare in spots from the

base up to about eighteen inches off the floor. The other wall is in an

adjoining room, and it too showed the same symptoms.

The tiles used are those flaming difficult ones to drill, and are about fourteen

inches tall by about ten wide.



I cursed my luck and decided to remove the bottom row of tiles, and the plaster

work behind them was damp. The plaster at the very foot of the tiles for up to

about a half inch was sufficiently wet that you could "rub" it through your fingers.

Bug*er.



Its dried out for about three weeks now, hence I'm getting pestered to get the

shower fixed (we have two other showers in the house, so no catty comments about

personal stench please :-) .

But how to fix this: if I do what I did last time, the problem could come back.

My guess is that the water was somehow "wick"ing up the back of the tile and up into the wall.



Current thoughts are to buy some of that plastic "quadrant" tile edging stuff (not

the kind that is used to tile down to the top lip of a bath), and use this to

keep the bottom edge of the tile off the stainless steel.

I'd also make sure that the bottom two inches of the wall are painted with gloss

paint so that any water on its surface wouldn't seep in and work its way through.



I'm using one of those two-pronged damp meter things; it's not exact science

but its quite useful. The numbers have dropped since the shower was

decommissioned, but I guess that's to be expected.



Grateful if anyone has views on this; many thanks in advance.



Mungo



The problem is that the tiles were sitting on the tray - so you couldn't

get a decent bead of silicone *into* the joint. Before you put the tiles

back, cut a few mm off the bottom edge, and prop them up until the

cement has set. *Then* apply the silicone so that it goes right back to

the wall.



Also make sure that you use good quality waterproof grout between the tiles.

--

Cheers,

Roger

Great advice Roger: thanks. What sort of gap should I leave between the bottom of the tile and the stainless steel - my guess would be about three millimetres?

I was also pondering whether to gloss paint the bottom inch of the back of the tile (and its lower edge), as a precaution. Any thoughts there?

Regards

Mungo

On Monday, October 29, 2012 1:08:09 PM UTC, ss wrote:



I would in the short term use some polythene and gafa tape and seal the

damp area (maybe loose at the bottom as long as it overhangs the tray)

that would allow using the shower until it dries out.

Obliged for your kind reply, but I did mention in my original post that the
house has two other showers that us residents can use in the meantime.
Actually, it's a luxury to be able to take a bathroom offline whilst I
contemplate and fix the problem.

Mungo

On Monday, October 29, 2012 6:38:02 PM UTC, The Medway Handyman wrote:


I've used this stuff a couple of times & it works a treat

http://www.homelux.co.uk/index.php?l...=product_range


Will investigate Dave - thanks for the reply.

Mungo

wrote in message
...
Hi Folks,
We have a shower cubicle of a non-standard size, with
block walls on three sides. I got a custom shower tray made from stainless
steel
for the base of this shower, with a lip on it of about one inch. I tiled the
walls
of the shower and rested the bottom row of tiles on to the stainless steel
base,
so that shower water would fall into the base and drain away nicely: no
worries about the integrity of the join twixt tiles and base here.
I then bought the good silicone stuff (can't remember the brand name, but
each
cartridge was £7.50 a time all those years ago) and the shower has done well
for
a few years.

The problem started about a year ago: the other side of one of the shower
cubicle
walls is wallpapered, and the black bacterium started to flare in spots from
the
base up to about eighteen inches off the floor. The other wall is in an
adjoining room, and it too showed the same symptoms.
The tiles used are those flaming difficult ones to drill, and are about
fourteen
inches tall by about ten wide.

I cursed my luck and decided to remove the bottom row of tiles, and the
plaster
work behind them was damp. The plaster at the very foot of the tiles for up
to
about a half inch was sufficiently wet that you could "rub" it through your
fingers.
Bug*er.

Its dried out for about three weeks now, hence I'm getting pestered to get
the
shower fixed (we have two other showers in the house, so no catty comments
about
personal stench please :-) .
But how to fix this: if I do what I did last time, the problem could come
back.
My guess is that the water was somehow "wick"ing up the back of the tile and
up into the wall.

Current thoughts are to buy some of that plastic "quadrant" tile edging
stuff (not
the kind that is used to tile down to the top lip of a bath), and use this
to
keep the bottom edge of the tile off the stainless steel.
I'd also make sure that the bottom two inches of the wall are painted with
gloss
paint so that any water on its surface wouldn't seep in and work its way
through.

I'm using one of those two-pronged damp meter things; it's not exact science
but its quite useful. The numbers have dropped since the shower was
decommissioned, but I guess that's to be expected.

Grateful if anyone has views on this; many thanks in advance.

Mungo



I have just been dealing with a related problem with one of my
showers.

It's a Matki tray with a built-in "tiling upstand" round the back edge. It's
been in for about 10 years without any trouble except hairline cracks have
appeared across all of the bottom row of tiles.

When I installed it I followed the instructions to the letter. The built-in
"tiling upstand" is recessed into the wall, i.e. tucked in under the bottom
edge of the Aquapanel walls. All tiles except the bottom row are fixed using
tile adhesive in the normal way.

For the bottom row I followed the instructions carefully. The tray itself
has a load of silicone sealant behind the edge, between the tray and the
wall. This oozes over the top of the tiling upstand all round. So far, so
good. For the bottom row of tiles, I put a big bead of ilicone over the
front edge of the tiling upstand, and tile adhesive down to nearly the
bottom of the aquapanel. The tiles were then squidged into this so they are
mostly adhesive fixed, but their bottom inch or so is stuck (and sealed)
with silicone. Then in one swift action I finished them off with a bead of
silicone between the tiles and shower tray and neatly finished this. When
all dry they were grouted in the normal way.

This was fine for about 8 years but then horizontal cracks appeared across
all the bottom row of tiles. I assumed (correctly as it turned out) that
with all the silicone behind, there was no real chance of water creeping
through and soaking everything behind, but last weekend I finally plucked up
courage to find my old stock of spare tiles and have a go at replacing the
bottom row.

Getting them off was a right old faff. I used the angle grinder to cut a few
slots so that I could break out sections without damaging the next row up.
It turned out that the horizontal cracks were all in the area between the
silicone and tiling adhesive - I guess the two materials move slightly
differently so the tiles are stressed just there.

So now I need to work out the best way of re-sticking and re-sealing the new
bottom row of tiles. Maybe there is a better (less flexible?) type of
silicone for sticking and sealing the tiles to the tray?


For your stainless steel tray this method (bottom inch or so stuck using
silicone) should give a good seal but it does seem to require some special
trick (or extra strong tiles) to avoid cracking later.

Good luck!

Regards,
Simon.

"Simon Stroud" wrote:

So now I need to work out the best way of re-sticking and re-sealing the
new bottom row of tiles. Maybe there is a better (less flexible?) type of
silicone for sticking and sealing the tiles to the tray?

Maybe silicone for the whole row, not just attaching them to the tray but
also the wal above? But if the tiles are moving very slightly there's
always going to be a problem where they butt up against the next row up
that's more rigidly glued to the wall, and/or the grouted joint.

--
Jeremy C B Nicoll - my opinions are my own.

Email sent to my from-address will be deleted. Instead, please reply
to replacing "aaa" by "284".